NEW DELHI: Winter chill has come to haunt the auto industry as car sales fell 8% in November, hit by an uncertain economic climate and high interest rates. And, the going looks even tougher, according to car industry executives and analysts.

According to numbers released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), car sales stood at 1.58 lakh units against 1.72 lakh units in the same month last year. Nine of the 19 carmakers reported a decline in volumes and these included heavyweights like Hyundai, Tata Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford and General Motors.

This is the third time in four months that car sales have slipped, and the industry remains nervous on the future. "Sales are getting difficult to come by and much of the numbers that you see have also come due to a lot of discounts and other freebies that we had to offer. Customers are not in a mood to buy vehicles and we have to offer deals to get them in," a senior industry official said, requesting not to be quoted.

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Winter chill has come to haunt the auto industry as car sales fell 8% in November, hit by an uncertain economic climate and high interest rates. And, the going looks even tougher, according to car industry executives and analysts.